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https://li.sten.to/MomentInSalento
Description:
They say "Dance like Nobody's Watching..."🕺🏾
In February 2020 (right before shit hit the fan!), I travel to #Colombia to tour with my friend @ryantennismusic as MC/DJ for his band. We made new #music, new friends & tons of great memories! We crushed the stage and had a great time at @sancochofest.
Looking back on that experience gave me light during the dark moments of 2020 and the isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. I would frequently review old photos and remember all the joy I experienced. There's nothing like DJing a post-festival pool party for 200+ people at 4 in the morning. I'm grateful for the expanding community & that trip influenced a lot of my music, including the way I approached Jupiter Sci-Fi.
During my trip, I started working on some beats one night... We had just left Cali (the Salsa capital of the world) and arrived in Salento, where I had a beautiful hostel room overlooking the Mountain view of Valle de Cocora. I just kept hearing these afro-latin rhythms in my head. All the syncopated drum patterns. So, I did some rough drum programming on this old loop I had in my DAW from a 2016 session with GR Stone.
When I got back to the states, I sent my rough mix to Dave Humes, who added the bassline. I remember me singing him my melody ideas over the phone. Remember it was April 2020 by then and we were in the beginning of what was a really difficult summer emotionally. Then, I sent the track to Arjun Dube of Trap Rabbit, who reproduced the drums. He nailed it per usual. A perfect rhythm of layered acoustic and electronic kits.
I had plenty of time to sit and develop my lyrical content and build ideas vocally. I wanted to get Ryan Tennis to sing the hook, but it was too difficult to coordinate at the time. (Maybe a remix version in the future?) So I was left to my own devices and I recorded probably over 100 tracks of the chorus vocals in my home studio (aka my bedroom), trying to get the tone and harmonies just right.
Did I nail it?
Lyrics:
If the diamond's cut
I line it up, Incredible
Eat an edible
While my rhymin cut
My timin such, Impeccable
A Spectacle
This aint a party... It's a festival
The most respectable
Tribe wit dashikis
Vibin to old CDs
Watchin the tides turn
Hot fire... but ya still dont burn
Six feet dirty... Unground like Worms
Just turned 30
but I still aint learn
How it all started a long time ago
Inny minny mini mo
Catch a tiger by his toe
Over all the blues, Now I'm Indigo
A moment in Salento
When I made this instrumental
Watchin clouds touch the mountains out my window
I made a friend tho
She switch the tempo
I like ya spaceship
It's essential
Its essential essential
You dance wit me baby...
I dont dance wit no one else I dont done wit no one else Like you babe
Credits:
Executive Producer: MH the Verb
Co-Executive Producer: Johann Sebastian
Producers: Arjun Dube & Logan Roth for Trap Rabbit
Mixed & Mastered by: Johann Sebastian
Art Direction: MH the Verb
Art Design: Miguel Cemiller
Animations: Tara Moves